Skate



NTE srans rrron,

SKATE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,017, dated January 1, 1861.

T0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALFRED HATHAVAY, of Charlestown, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Skate,and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the followingspecification and represented in the acr ward from the foot rest, butabuts against one arm of a curved bar spring, D, which at its middle isfastened to, or suitably held, by the foot rest or that part of thehinge which projects from such foot rest, the whole being as shown inthe drawings. Furthermore, two looking arms, E, E, are hinged to thefoot rest in such manner as to enable such to be swung or turned on itshinge pin and in the plane-of the runner, or from the position shown atd, down to that indicated at cl, by dotted lines, in which latter case,the lower extremity of each arm is caused to enter one of two notches e,e, arranged in the runner as shown in F 1 and 2. When in these latterpositions the looking arms become rigid supporters of the toe and heelparts of the foot rest, that is, they prevent the foot rest from turningon its hinge and taking elastic bearings on the ends of the runner.

The object of my mode of applying the foot rest and runner together isnot only to enable the former to be firmly supported by the latterimmediately or about in the line of direction of the center of gravityof the body of the skater while he may be standing in an upright ornearly upright position, but to allow the runner, either at its toe Orheel to spring upward easily when met by any ridge or, irregularity ofthe surface of the ice; also, to allow the foot rest to have a springbearing at or near its toe, while the skater may be in the act ofpropelling himself either forward or backward. The peculiar advantage ofmy mode of supporting the foot rest with respect to the runner, will bereadily comprehended by most, if not all good skaters.

Should the user of the skate be desirous at any time, of having at thetoe or heel of the foot-rest or at both toe and heel, a rigid instead ofan elastic bearing so as to cause the foot rest to have no rockingmotion with respect to the runner he has only to turn the locking arms(Z, d, downward into their respective notches of the runner.

I am aware that a skate has been con structed with springs interposedbetween its foot rest and runner and for the purpose of supporting thefoot rest by elastic bearings arranged under its heel and toe. ThereforeI do not claim such a skate.

What I claim as my invention is 1. An improved skate as made not onlywith its foot. rest combined -with its runner by means of a hinge rockeror fulcrum but with a spring or springs so applied to such runner andfoot rest as to present an elastic support to either or both ends of therunner.

2. The combination and arrangement of the looking arms or theirequivalents with the foot rest and the runner having a spring or springsso applied to them as to enable them to operate together substantiallyas specified.

3. The combination of the runner and foot rest by means of a hingedconnection (or the equivalent) so applied as to enable the foot rest tovibrate longitudinally and independ ently of the runner while the skatemay be in use.

ALFRED HATHAVAY. lVitnesses:

R. H. EDDY, F. P. HALE, Jr.

